Corruption, security, marijuana: key issues in Israeli elections

JERUSALEM: Here are some of the main issues in the campaign for Tuesday’s general elections in Israel:

- NETANYAHU ALLEGATIONS -

The current elections are not just about the usual big issues — peace, war and the economy — but also the legitimacy of incumbent premier Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a pre-indictment hearing on corruption charges that could lead to his eventual imprisonment.

Netanyahu claims to be a victim of a “witch hunt” and vows to prove his innocence in the hearing. While many of his supporters sympathise with the veteran leader, his Likud party is in a close race with the centrist Blue and White alliance led by former military chief of staff Benny Gantz and ex-finance minister Yair Lapid.

- WHO’S RIGHT? -

Security is always a major issue in a country that has fought repeated wars, and debate over who is truly of the political right goes hand-in-hand with that. Netanyahu has sought to brand his Blue and White opponents as “weak” leftists even though many of their policy issues are similar.

The centrist alliance has in turn brandished its security credentials — it includes three former military chiefs of staff.

Gantz has also issued a video boasting of the number of Palestinian militants killed and targets hit in Israel’s 2014 Gaza war, when he was chief of staff. Netanyahu has done his own boasting, frequently speaking of Israel’s air war in Syria against arch foe Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

- ANNEXATION -

Three days ahead of the vote, Netanyahu vowed to annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins.

Applying sovereignty in the West Bank on a large-scale could prove to be the death knell for the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Gantz called the declaration an “irresponsible” electoral stunt, noting Netanyahu’s 13 years as premier during which he could have acted to that end. He also said he opposed unilateral moves and favoured an internationally backed peace plan that respects his principles, including keeping the large settlement blocs in the West Bank and security control over all of the territory.

- ‘BIBI OR TIBI’ -

Netanyahu has used divisive populism that critics say amounts to the demonisation of Arab Israelis and others.